He saw a figure standing in the room in front of the orb. As he drew closer, he saw that it was Tolfdir. Tolfdir turned around, and his face lit up. "Onmund! Danielle! What fine timing. Come look at our discovery."
"Tolfdir, I've got the books that Urag was looking for," Danielle said to him.
"Did you now?" he replied. "That's wonderful. No doubt he will be very happy to have them returned. As for me…I just can't seem to tear myself away." He went back to gazing at the orb. "Whatever this is, its beauty is like nothing I've ever seen before. If you'd allow me to indulge myself for a moment, I thought I might make a few observations…"
He doesn't seem to care at all about the books, Onmund thought. He looked at Danielle and shrugged as Tolfdir beckoned them to come closer to the orb. Onmund had to admit, it was striking. The surface of it caught the dappled light falling into the room and seemed to refract it in all different directions. It was like looking at a giant spherical mirror.
"I'm sure you've already noticed the markings. They're quite unlike anything we've seen before. Ayleid, Dwemer, Daedric…Not even Falmer. None of them are a match. Quite curious indeed. Now, I'm not sure that you're quite as attuned as I am, given my extensive years of experience, but can you feel that?"
"Feel what?" Onmund asked as he and Danielle exchanged blank glances.
"This marvelous object," Tolfdir replied. "It practically radiates magicka, and yet its unlike anything I've felt before."
As he looked back at Danielle and they both shrugged again, he saw someone enter the room. It was Ancano.
Tolfdir continued, "Arch-Mage Aren is already hard at work, and hopefully we'll have more information soon. Now I-"
Suddenly, Ancano cleared his throat loudly and broke in with, "I'm afraid I must intrude."
Tolfdir, Onmund, and Danielle turned to the tall Thalmor agent in surprise.
"It is urgent that I speak with your associate immediately," Ancano continued.
As Onmund and Danielle exchanged looks of confusion, Tolfdir interjected, "This is most inappropriate! We are involved in serious research here!"
"Yes, I've no doubt of its gravity," Ancano responded in a disinterested manner. "This, however, is a matter that cannot wait."
Tolfdir huffed in annoyance and said, "Well, I'm quite sure I've never been interrupted like this before…the audacity!" He sighed and added, "I suppose we'll continue this at a later time, when we can avoid interruption." He shot Ancano an annoyed glare and left the hall.
Continuing to wear his haughty scowl, Ancano looked at Danielle and said, "You. Breton. I will speak with you."
Danielle opened her eyes wide and pointed to herself, "Me?"
"Yes, you," Ancano replied impatiently. "I need you to come with me immediately."
"I-I don't understand what's going on," Danielle stammered uncertainly.
"Really? Well, allow me to clarify the situation. I'd like to know why there's someone claiming to be from the Psijic Order here in the College. More importantly, I'd like to know why he's asking for you specifically. So we're going to go have a little chat with him, and find out exactly what it is he wants."
"Can…Onmund accompany us?" she asked.
Ancano looked at Onmund as if for the first time and scowled even more. "Absolutely not. This man asked to speak to you and you alone. And let me ask the questions."
With a frown on her face, Danielle said to Onmund quietly, "Will you excuse me?"
Onmund glanced at Ancano and then back at Danielle and said, "I'll be back in my room." He then watched as Ancano escorted Danielle out of the training hall and into the Arch-Mage's Quarters.
As Onmund walked back to his room, he wondered if he should've said something. Where does Ancano get off talking to everyone like that? he thought. No wonder the mages here don't like him. But he knew that was how the Thalmor went about their business. They were a fascist military faction bent on establishing elven superiority over man, and they stopped at nothing to gain control of the Empire, including killing many innocent humans. They especially hated Nords, and Nords hated them. As much of the traditional teachings as Onmund was brought up in, he never came to dislike elves. But Ancano was different. He definitely rubbed him the wrong way today.
Onmund sighed as he pulled out one of the books that he and Danielle salvaged from Fellglow Keep. This particular one was called Night of Tears, authored by someone by the name of Dranor Seleth. He started reading:
Saarthal holds a prominent place in Skyrim history, even if most do not remember it by name. It is of course the site of one of the first major Nord settlements, one of the first cities of men in Skyrim, and the earliest known capital of their civilization. It was also the site of terrible bloodshed, when the elves attempted to drive the Nords out of Skyrim, to succeed only in incurring their wrath in the form of Ysgramor and his fabled Five Hundred Companions, who swept the elves from Skyrim and firmly established it as the home of the Nords.
All this is known, but little else. What happened on that Night of Tears, when Saarthal was razed to the ground? What provoked the elves to such a deliberate, vicious attack, and what prompted such a severe response from the Nords?
Vingalmo's Treatise on the Altmer Antecedent suggests that the elves of the Merethic Era, along with their counterparts the early Dwemer, possessed a degree of sophistication unparalleled in Tamriel. They displayed power beyond what could be expected of the time. While a distinct explanation is not given for this, I believe that this work, compared with the early writings of Heseph Chirirnis, suggest that something greater was at work on that night in Saarthal.
The true motives behind the Night of Tears have been obscured to us by the passage of time, but I believe this was not a simple war of territory, or of control of Skyrim. I believe that what happened was a significant event based around something very particular.
The Nords found something when they built their city, buried deep in the ground. They attempted to keep it buried, but the elves learned of it and coveted it for themselves. Thus they assaulted Saarthal, their goal not to drive the Nords out but to secure this power for themselves. I believe Ysgramor knew something of what the elves would find under Saarthal, and rallied together his people to keep the elves from gaining it. When Nords once again controlled Skyrim, this power was buried deep below the earth and sealed away.
Time has kept this knowledge from us, but it is my hope that Time will also reveal the truth of these words. Every effort will be made to relocate Saarthal, and find that which has been lost to us.
Onmund scratched his chin. So Danielle was right about the significance of this finding, he thought. And if what the Psijic monk told her is true, what sort of "chain of events" has already been set in motion by finding this thing? He closed the book and put it back into his satchel. Remembering that she was with Ancano and that one of the Psijic monks was right here at the College at the current time, he thought, I sure hope she's all right.
Just then, he heard the outside door shut and he looked up to see Danielle entering. He stood up immediately. She made a beeline for his room and she saw that she looked very troubled. "Is everything all right?" he asked her, offering her to sit down.
She gladly took a seat in the chair next to him and whispered uncertainly, "I don't know."
They continued to talk in a whisper because Brelyna was nearby in her room. For some reason, Onmund felt like this whole thing should just be kept between the two of them. "So what did…he say?"
She sighed. "It doesn't look good. It seems that the orb…he called it the Eye of Magnus, holds some great power. Dangerous power."
"Eye?" Onmund questioned. "That thing's an eye? What kind of dangerous power does it have?"
"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me. He just said to be ready."
"Be ready for what?"
"I don't know!" she rasped so sharply that Onmund saw Brelyna look up at them in curiosity. He shot Danielle a warning glance and she immediately hung her head apologetically. Brelyna then went back to her business and Onmund signaled for her to continue.
Danielle repeated, more softly this time, "I don't know…but there is someone here at the College who he said might know. He told me to speak to the Augur of Dunlain."
"The Augur of Dunlain? Who is that? What is that?"
"I'm not even sure. But apparently he can help me figure out what to do next."
"So…what does Ancano think about all this? What did he say?"
"He doesn't know anything. The monk, he…he used some kind of time-freezing spell so that he could only speak to me. Everyone around me- Ancano and Savos Aren, didn't witness or hear a thing. After our conversation was over, it was as if not a single minute had passed. He just said that he had made a mistake, and Ancano escorted him out."
"I bet that made Ancano mad," Onmund retorted, remembering how rude Ancano had been to him earlier. "Well, whatever this…eye happens to be…I hope it isn't dangerous. The ancient Nords must've sealed it away for a reason. And now that it's unearthed, who knows what it could mean!"
"Well, I guess I will find out when I speak to the Augur of Dunlain tonight," Danielle said. "If I can find him, that is."
"Maybe Tolfdir knows," Onmund offered.
"Yes, I will ask him. But first, we'd better take these books over to the Arcaneum."
"Oh, right. The books." Onmund opened up his satchel and brought out two of the books that they had retrieved from Fellglow Keep. Danielle had the third. "Let's go."
They both got up and went out the door. As they walked over to the main hall, Danielle suddenly stopped and said apprehensively, "Onmund…I think I may be…in trouble…"
"What! What do you mean?" He looked at her curiously.
She looked down at the ground and sighed. "I…I think I may have overstepped my bounds a bit when I was talking to Ancano. He just…he just made me so upset…"
"What did he do?"
"He said such…bad things about you. He told me…not to trust you…because you were a Nord."
"Really?! What bad things did he say?"
"Oh, I wish not to repeat it. It was so upsetting. He basically accused you of being a Stormcloak sympathizer and elf-hater."
"He did, did he? You know I don't care much for this rebellion going on in Skyrim. And I don't hate elves. I like Brelyna and Savos Aren."
"I know. But when he said those things to me, I…I just lost it. I…I told him that he had no business talking to me like that. I became so angry that I…that I lashed out and called him a 'self-righteous, narrow-minded high-head.'"
Onmund's jaw dropped in shock. "You…you did?!" He tried to imagine Ancano's reaction as he was insulted by a petite Breton mage. He put his hand over his mouth because he was afraid that he would start laughing. "Oh…oh, I can't believe it…"
"Oh, he was not happy," she remarked.
Onmund couldn't help it. He burst out laughing, much to Danielle's surprise. Danielle just stared at him with her mouth wide open and then she yelled, "It's not funny, Onmund! What if I get expelled from the College because of him?"
Onmund struggled to catch his breath. He uttered, "I'm sorry. I just…can't believe…wow." When he could finally speak, he said, "I'm just imagining the look on his face as you called him that. He probably wasn't expecting that, that's for sure!"
Danielle stared at him fearfully. "I didn't mean to. I really overreacted…"
"Don't worry, Danielle," he assured her. "Ancano has no authority here at the College. He's been a thorn in everyone's side. I'd say it's about time someone gave him a piece of their mind!" He smiled warmly at her and she managed a small smile in return. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."
This seemed to put her a little more at ease. Together, they went into the Arcaneum and handed the books over to Urag, who was delighted to have them back. As a reward, he gave the two apprentices some books to help them improve their Destruction skills.
"Well, I'm going to go talk to Tolfdir, now," Danielle said after they had exited the Arcaneum.
"All right, good luck!"
"Thanks." She then left him, and he went back to his room.
Later on that afternoon, Tolfdir brought all four of his Destruction students into the Hall of Elements to show them the Eye of Magnus and tell them what he knew about it. Onmund and Danielle had already seen it and heard a little bit about it, but J'zargo and Brelyna hadn't, and they were amazed. They became almost as mesmerized with the mysterious power that radiated from it as Tolfdir was earlier.
Onmund hadn't gotten a chance to ask Danielle about what Tolfdir had told her about the Augur of Dunlain and he wouldn't get to anytime soon. After giving some demonstrations of long-range Destruction spells, Tolfdir left the four apprentices alone to practice. But before leaving, he warned them, "Do not use any spells on the Eye! We don't know how it responds to our magic yet, so please just keep your spells focused on the absorption points and each other, as usual."
Brelyna and Danielle stayed together throughout the practice session so Onmund didn't get to talk to her much. He did notice, though, that she had added a new spell to her attack arsenal- namely the Firebolt spell, which allowed her to shoot balls of fire from a longer range.
He and J'zargo practiced with their Shock spells on each other, of course, with the other warding. At one point, he said to J'zargo, "I learned a new spell the other day. It's called Chain Lightning, and it lets me strike more than one target at once!"
J'zargo snorted. "J'zargo doesn't need a special spell for that. J'zargo can unleash lightning from both hands at once." He then proceeded to demonstrate by dual-casting Lightning Bolt at the absorption point nearest to them. "Let's see your Chain Lightning, now."
Onmund said deflatedly, "Well, I can't show you in here. I'd need two live targets. These absorption points absorb all of the lightning."
"There are two live targets right there," J'zargo said, pointing to the two female apprentices.
"What did you say?!" Danielle piped up, her hands charged up with a fire spell.
"Uh oh, you don't want to make her mad," Onmund said, grinning as he thought of her altercation with the stuck-up Thalmor agent earlier.
"Onmund wants to practice his spells on you two," J'zargo said. "He wants to get expelled so J'zargo can advance alone."
Brelyna laughed. "That's ridiculous! Don't pick on Onmund. He's one of our best students here."
"Only because he's friends with Danielle, the teacher's pet," J'zargo huffed.
"Hey, leave her out of this," Onmund scowled.
"Speaking of friends," Brelyna intervened. "What were you two whispering about in your room earlier? Can I get in on the gossip, too?"
She must be referring to me and Danielle's conversation earlier about the Psijic monk, Onmund thought. He glanced at Danielle, wondering what in the world they could tell her. He didn't want to tell her what Danielle had told him, necessarily, but he also didn't want to lie or make her feel excluded.
"They were whispering?" J'zargo asked. "Sounds like mischief to Khajiit."
"Mischief?" Brelyna laughed. "Onmund and Danielle? They don't even so much as bend the rules here."
"No," Onmund answered. "It's not mischief. We were just having a discussion about the Eye. There's something mysterious about it and we were just wondering if digging it out and bringing it back here was a good idea." It's not the whole story on what we were talking about, but it's satisfying enough.
"Why wouldn't it be?" Brelyna questioned. "Savos Aren is looking into it. And he's got Mirabelle, Ancano, and the other professors involved. Looks like they know what they're doing."
"Tolfdir said that it radiates magicka," Danielle explained. "If it gets into the wrong hands, it could possibly cause a disaster."
"Don't worry," Brelyna said. "The elders won't allow that."
"I suppose you're right," she replied.
Brelyna giggled again. "Alas. I was hoping you had some juicy gossip to share or something. J'zargo is right, though. You two are around each other an awful lot."
"What's wrong with that?" Onmund asked in a defensive manner.
"Nothing's wrong with it," she replied. "Just something I noticed, that's all."
An awkward silence began to ensue as everyone fidgeted and looked down at the ground. J'zargo then broke in with, "Well, J'zargo is hungry. He's going back to his room now."
Onmund was glad for the change of subject. Come to think of it, he was hungry, himself and it was already a little past dinnertime. With that, everyone headed back to the Hall of Attainment.
After dinner, Onmund was by then dying to ask Danielle about what she had found out about the Augur of Dunlain from Tolfdir. He went over to her room and saw that she wasn't there. As she heard the sound of female voices nearby, he looked up and saw her engaged in a conversation with Brelyna in her room. So he went to over to his own room and studied up on his incantations. After about an hour or so of doing that, he went back over to Danielle's room, but she still wasn't there. Brelyna's room was silent, so he walked inconspicuously over towards that direction to see if he could get a glimpse of her there. Brelyna was frantically flipping through a book that she held in her hand and she appeared to be alone. As Onmund turned around to head back, Brelyna looked up and said, "Oh, hi, Onmund. Looking for something?"
"I just, uhh…thought that Danielle was in here but it looks like she isn't," he said nonchalantly and made as if to turn around again, but Brelyna responded, "Oh..uhh…s-she went back to her room to lie down. Said she wasn't feeling well…"
Onmund was surprised at how secretive Brelyna sounded, not to mention outright lying, since he had just been by her room. What is this all about? he wondered as he said, "She…wasn't there."
"She wasn't? …Oh," Brelyna continued in her strange manner.
Onmund put a hand on his hip, determined to figure out what she was obviously trying to hide. "Okay, Brelyna, what's going on? Now you're being secretive about something."
Brelyna sighed in defeat. "If I tell you, will you promise not to tell Tolfdir? Or Danielle that I told you?"
Now, Onmund was really curious. "It depends. Are you ladies up to some trouble or something?"
"No, no," she protested. "It's nothing like that. It's just that…I was practicing some spells."
"Spells?" Onmund questioned. "You know you're not supposed to do that in here!"
"I know, I know," she continued. "I promise it was nothing destructive or illegal. I've just been working on some toy spells to help me understand magicka a little bit more. And Danielle agreed to let me test them on her."
At this, Onmund became alarmed. "You tested them…on her?"
Brelyna became flustered. "Yes! Like I said, she agreed to it. But anyway, I thought I had my formula right, but um…it had some…unexpected results."
"What did you do?" Onmund demanded.
"N-nothing…nothing bad!" she cried defensively. "Just…it turned her skin…green…"
Onmund's jaw dropped.
"It'll wear off eventually!" Brelyna added.
"Well, what…is she okay? Where is she?"
"She's…upstairs," Brelyna said, pointing. "She'll be just fine. Just…doesn't want to see anyone right now, that's all. Especially you. She specifically said to me, 'Don't let Onmund see me.'"
Onmund was struck speechless as he wondered what to do. Suddenly, Brelyna's expression changed as she looked up at him. "You know…I think she…has a crush on you!"
"Huh?" he uttered in surprise and his face instantly felt hot. "Why would you say that?"
Suddenly, her eyes widened and she exclaimed, "You're blushing! You…you have a crush on her, too!"
"No, I don't!" he replied quickly. "We're just friends."
"That is adorable!" she gushed. "I should've known."
"I don't have a crush on her," he said tersely. "Are you sure she's gonna be okay?"
"Yes," she replied. "I told you. The spell'll wear off on its own. You don't have to get so mad."
Onmund sighed, not knowing how to respond. "Well, I'm going to bed now. Goodnight." He then retreated back to his room and changed into his nightshift. He climbed into bed and tried to fall asleep. He eventually caught a glimpse of Danielle coming down from the second floor and going back to her room. She looked normal, so he supposed that whatever spell Brelyna had cast on her had worn off by then. He sighed and felt his face grow warm again as he remembered what Brelyna had said to him. I don't have a crush on Danielle, he said in his head. She's my friend! She is very attractive, I have to admit, though. But she's also very smart and fearless. She would never be attracted to a…a guy like me. A guy who seems to be easily suckered by other guys like Kodnar and Enthir. Besides, I can't have crushes on classmates. That would be against the rules, wouldn't it? Or would it? He thought about the long list of Rules and Regulations and couldn't remember seeing anything about dealing with the opposite sex. Surely, if there was a rule about getting too close to a member of the opposite sex, it would be spelled out, wouldn't it? And why am I even worrying about it, anyway? She's just my friend, just like J'zargo and Brelyna are, and that's not against the rules. She just happens to be my favorite friend because she's so nice to me and easy to talk to. But that doesn't mean I have a crush on her! He turned over to his side and fell asleep. He then began to dream.
Onmund found himself in the Arcaneum with Danielle. They were going over the College Rules and Regulations together at their usual table, when all of a sudden, he felt something brush up against his leg. He nearly jumped out of his skin at first, thinking that perhaps it was a Skeever or something, but as the brushing continued, he realized that it was Danielle's foot. He seemed to remember that during one of their previous study sessions, their feet accidentally got tangled up under the table and she immediately retracted herself and apologized. Onmund had shrugged it off, simply rotating his body as his large frame did not fit comfortably within the confines of the small table, and they went on with their studying. However, as he felt the side of her little foot rubbing against his ankle deliberately, he knew that this was no accident. Becoming flustered, he looked up at her. Her head was still bent down towards the book, but to his surprise, a grin started to spread across her face. She slowly lifted her head up and looked at him, her mouth turned upward in that mesmerizing smile of hers and her eyes gleaming. Onmund felt his face become hot and he immediately averted her eyes and looked back down at his book. This didn't cause her to stop, though. She hooked her ankle around his and just as he was about to say something, she said in a soft voice, "This is against the rules, you know."
He was about to look up and declare, "I know," but once again, she made his speech falter by scooting her chair closer to him and placed her hand on top of his thigh, just above his knee. He looked up and his eyes immediately darted to Urag, whom he could see through the opening in the wall at his desk. His back was turned towards them. Onmund wanted to say something to Danielle, to warn her that Urag would turn around at any moment and see them, but he found himself unable to speak. He felt as if his tongue were made of hard rubber. He just gave her an urgent look, but she simply grinned and said, "He will forget," and didn't stop. Her hand was moving now, towards the inner part of his thigh and he found himself tensing up, but at the same time, beginning to feel sort of a rise. It actually felt sort of…thrilling. Why am I beginning to enjoy this? Why? he questioned himself, keeping one fearful eye on Urag and another on Danielle. He then felt her squeeze the meaty part of his inner thigh, and he nearly uttered a noise from his lips, but he kept quiet, finding himself unable to contain his growing excitement any longer. He stole another glance at Urag again, and to his horror, he saw the old librarian begin turning his head around. Onmund immediately turned back to Danielle, shooting her a frantic look, but she ignored him and with an even bigger smile, started moving her hand towards the center of his body. His eyes widened and he opened his mouth to cry out.
And then he awoke. As he opened his eyes and found himself staring at the cold, stone wall of his room at the College, he immediately felt a wave of embarrassment overtake him. What…was that? he asked wildly in his head. He tried to blink away the images in his head and shake off the tingly feelings that he got as he remembered the way Danielle was touching him in his dream, but try as he might, he couldn't get rid of them completely. Danielle would never do that, he kept telling himself over and over. Stop thinking such things, immediately! However, he couldn't help but remember the extreme high he had felt in his dream. The way she was touching him, and the fear mixed with the strange thrill that he felt as he knew that Urag would catch them at any moment. And that thought alone made him feel even more ashamed. He decided that he couldn't go back to sleep now. He got up out of his bed and went over to light his candle. He was going to read and get his mind off of his crazy dream, and then perhaps get an hour or two of sleep before having to get up tomorrow morning.
He pulled out one of the books that Urag had given to him, called Horror of Castle Xyr, and began reading it by the candlelight. The story was enthralling. He had just gotten to the part where the Imperial Captain discovered bodies in the basement of the castle that he was visiting when out of the corner of his eye, he noticed movement in the foyer. He looked up and saw that someone had just come into the Hall of Attainment from outside, and as he squinted through the blue light, he saw that it was Danielle! He immediately stood up.
His sudden movement caused her to jump about a mile and then she turned to him. Onmund lifted his candle up to his face and when she saw that it was only him, she seemed to breathe a silent sigh of relief. He saw her put a finger to her lips, urging him not to wake anyone else, and then she gestured for him to follow her. Now curious, Onmund put his candle down, blew it out and went out of his room. She then began climbing up the stairs and he followed. As he ascended the steps behind her, her legs were at his eye level, and for a second, he thought back to his dream and immediately felt his face grow hot again, and he thought, Not now. I can't think about that now! He forced the thoughts out of his mind and followed Danielle up to the second floor, where they climbed yet another flight of stairs until they reached the door at the top. Onmund had never been out on the balcony of the College before, but he knew that was where the door led. They quietly stepped outside.
The night air was cold and Onmund was only wearing his nightshift, but he was actually okay. It was the only place where they could get true privacy to talk. "I have just visited the Augur of Dunlain," Danielle declared, her breath turning to steam.
"You did?" Onmund asked in amazement. "How did you find him?"
"Tolfdir told me," she replied. "He resides down in the Midden underneath the College. I went down there just now because it was the only chance I could get."
Onmund nodded. "So…what did the Augur say?"
"What he said isn't good," she said gravely. "Something bad is about to happen here at the College. And it's all because of the Eye."
"The Eye? I knew they shouldn't have brought that thing back here!"
"Yes, well…the Augur said that this was all inevitable in the first place. But he also said that somehow my path will cross with Ancano's."
"Ancano!" he cried out disgustedly. "What does he have to do with it?"
"That elf is hungry for information about the Eye. But unfortunately for him, he will not find any. On the contrary, it seems that he will…probably meet some kind of misfortune."
"Well, serves him right!" He crossed his arms. "I still don't understand, though…what's the bad thing that's about to happen here? Was that it?"
"I still don't know. But the Augur said that in order to 'see through the Eye of Magnus, I require his staff.'" I'm going to ask the Arch-Mage about this."
"A staff, huh? Hmm. This is all very interesting. We still haven't found out much, though. So you're going to talk to the Arch-Mage tomorrow?"
"Yes. He might be able to tell me more about this staff and perhaps, where I can find it. It seems as if I will be needing this thing to prevent the disaster that is coming."
Onmund sighed. "Wow. I can't believe what I'm hearing. Well, if you need any help from me, let me know. I'd be glad to offer what I can."
"Thank you, Onmund." She then shivered. "It's so cold out here. Let's go back inside."
They then went back into the Hall of Attainment and quietly made their way back down to the first floor. Fortunately, they didn't appear to have awakened anyone. They briefly bid each other goodnight and went back to their respective rooms. Onmund was able to go back to a dreamless sleep.
This chapter contains text directly from the Skyrim book, Night of Tears by Dranor Seleth, which is Copyright Bethesda.